The far right in Europe has enjoyed a renaissance over the past 30 years, driven by resentment of the growing powers of the European Union and by rejection of the “multiculturalism” that has accompanied rapid immigration from the developing world.

Political parties opposing immigration and integration have done well in elections in recent years — and beyond them, neo-fascist and “national socialist” groups have become well-established across the continent, including in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Scandinavia, Hungary and the United Kingdom.

Most of those belonging to such groups would not contemplate the sort of carnage that occurred in Norway on Friday, but they would probably sympathize with what appears to have been the manifesto of the alleged assailant, Anders Behring Breivik.

Breivik claimed that “cultural Marxism” had morally degraded Europe, and purportedly wrote: “You cannot defeat Islamisation or halt/reverse the Islamic colonization of Western Europe without first removing the political doctrines manifested through multiculturalism/cultural Marxism.” Elsewhere he said: “One of the most widespread manifestations of the craziness of our world is multiculturalism.”

Finland’s pro-Europe National Coalition led by Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen has won Finland’s general election but is set to form a go...

About Me

İsa Burak Gonca graduated from the Department of International Relations of the Faculty of Business and Economics of the Eastern Mediterranean University of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Masters Program in Political Science and International Relations of the Institute of Social Sciences of Yeditepe University. He is now a PhD Candidate in the Field of the International Relations of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Suleyman Demirel University. He is currently doing his PhD studies on China's energy security and geoeconomic interests in Central Asia.